Pumpkins and Passion
by Eri Beri 0123
Summary: Not a day goes by when Keet isn't at the Lumpy Pumpkin. And not a minute passes when he isn't thinking of its lovely waitress. If only she would think of him in return...


The savory scent of pumpkins and spices mixed within the air. A flavorful essence this familiar was almost of a perfume to the lovely waitress and the frequent patron residing in the Lumpy Pumpkin. The boy, Keet, gazed longingly at the fair maiden; lost in a daze and feeling that was akin to that of love. He watched intently as she served a bottle of the famous pumpkin soup to an awaiting customer, smiling as she did so. He wondered if he should order another serving as well―the close proximity and her delightful grin all but endearing to him.

However, already having five bottles, he quickly reproached the idea, knowing that arising the slightest bit of suspicion was something to be avoided.

But perhaps at least talking to her wouldn't be such a bad idea. Striking up a conversation and developing common grounds was the first step to a healthy relationship, right? Smiling at the thought, he called the waitress over to him under the guise of ordering a slice of pie.

She complied eagerly and sauntered over to the bar where her father stood, polishing a plate. All the while, Keet never took his eyes off her; every movement she made was mesmerizing.

In his peripherals, he saw the door crack open and let someone in. A glimpse of a medium build caught his eye, most likely belonging to that of a male's. But as quickly as it came, Keet dismissed the thought and returned his attention to Kina. She was more important than this stranger―or even anyone for that matter. And speaking of which, she was now coming back with his order.

"Here you go, a slice of pumpkin pie!" she exclaimed, setting the steaming plate down on the table.

"Why thank you," he replied eagerly. "I'm-"

_DONK!_

They looked at each other.

"What was that?" Keet asked anxiously.

"I'm not quite sure…" Kina said, eyes darting around the room for the source.

"Maybe a Guay hit the side of the building."

"Could be-"

_DONK!_

"There it is again! What's happ-"

A snap resonated throughout the building and the grand chandelier that was once suspended over their heads suddenly fell onto the table with great force. Numerous shards of crystal shattered everywhere as rupees of various colors dispersed throughout the air. Keet cradled his head in protection from the incoming glass when he heard a girlish scream escape the waitress beside him. Immediately, he became concerned for her well-being, praying she wasn't hurt.

For a moment, the restaurant was in shock: pure silence for the trauma just inflicted on them. Then, an angry voice roared through the taciturn building.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"

Keet recognized the voice as Pumm's, the owner of the establishment and also Kina's father.

"Get down and come here this instant!"

Keet could hear the steps the hellion made as he made his way down the wooden stairs. He wondered who would do such a thing―a perilous act that wasn't even justified. Then he remembered: that red-haired kid with the pompadour, Groose. He was probably responsible.

As the sound of steps reached ground level, Keet turned to get a good luck at the culprit. The incredulity hit him like a ton of bricks.

Link.

It was… _Link._

The headmaster's daughter's best friend. The kid who got bullied. The selfless boy who put everybody before him.

Keet didn't understand. It didn't register. He couldn't comprehend as to why a noble soul like him would do such a thing. The fact that he even did this was just unfathomable. He watched as Link got berated by Pumm―saw how the gruff man shoved a bottle of pumpkin soup in Link's hand and sent him on his way. Keet laughed.

_Compensation for his acts,_ he thought.

"Hey, you!" Pumm called, bringing Keet out of his musing. "You're going to help clean this up, right?"

_Cleaning? Who said anything about cleaning? _He was just a customer here, enjoying the food and gentle ambiance of the restaurant. Who did Pumm think he was assigning work to him like that?

Kina's father.

Right…

"Um, of course!" he replied with a nervous smile. Any chance to impress Kina was a chance he was willing to take.

"Fantastic. You and Kina can grab the broom and get to work. No lollygagging!"

_Perfect._ Now he'd be able to have the interaction he so desperately wanted. It was a different circumstance than he had hoped for in his mind of course; but a chance was a chance and he was going to seize it.

"Hi!" the eccentric waitress exclaimed brightly. "I'm Kina! Or… I guess you should already know that considering how often you're here."

"Oh, uh…" Keet stammered, his face flushing with color.

"But I mean, that's not a bad thing, you know!"

"R-Right."

"Anyway, let's get to work, shall we?" She threw Keet a dustpan and grabbed a broom in her hand. "We've got a lot of work to do."

* * *

At the dawn of the next day, Keet was back in his habitual spot, bidding a good morning to Kina and her father. He sat down at the large central table and quickly ordered a bottle of pumpkin soup, never tiring of its delectable taste. As Kina went to go place his order, the door pried open and let in another customer―specifically, one adorned in green.

_Look who's back,_ Keet mused. He let out a sigh and rested his head on his palm, letting his mind wander off. He wondered if with this newfound debt Link owed to Pumm, he would be showing up at the Lumpy Pumpkin more often than usual. It's not like he didn't mind; it's just that the restaurant always had a certain group of people who came―regulars, if you will. Excluding the two that owned it, it was himself, Rusta, and that bug geek Stritch. Anybody else could mess up the delicate balance of things.

But perhaps he was overthinking things. Yes, he'd always had a penchant for the pessimistic perspective. There was nothing to worry about.

"Hey, I'm back!" Kina said, coming back to the table. "And what's up? You look a little down."

Keet snapped his head up. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking."

"Really? About what?"

"Just… things."

"Okay…" she said skeptically, catching onto his obvious avoidance of the subject. "Well, I will be gone for a few hours. The pumpkins are ready and Link's actually going to help me harvest them."

"Part of his punishment?"

"Repentance is a better word."

He scoffed. "Nice sugarcoating."

"Thanks." She smiled. "Well, I ought to get going now. Link isn't going to wait forever."

"I don't think he has the choice."

"Ha, ha…" she laughed sarcastically. "See you later, Keet!"

"See ya," he said as he waved, watching the girl run off to join the swordsman. He let out a sigh. _Something about him rubs me the wrong way…_

"Those two look cute together, don't you think?" an old, but energetic voice piped up. Keet looked to find that Rusta had made the irritable observation.

"What are you talking about, old man?" Keet asked, eyes narrowing.

"I'm just saying―they look good together!"

"No they don't."

"Yes they do. Can't you see the chemistry?"

"It's nonexistent."

"Nonsense, it's clear as-"

"Look, there's probably nothing going on between them, so can you do us both a favor and just drop it?"

Folding his arms over his chest in capitulation, Rusta smiled knowingly.

"Okay."

"Great," Keet replied sarcastically. "Because there's no way something like that could happen."

* * *

Lights illuminated the restaurant in a warm, welcoming glow. Contrary to his usual visits, this time Link had stopped by after the sun went down and night had pervaded Skyloft. Keet was in his usual spot, Kina was serving drinks, and everything was as it should be.

Well, _almost._

Keet thought he'd imagined it, but when Link walked in, he saw something golden sticking out of his pouch. He didn't know what it was and didn't really care to find out. But now as Link pulled it out seemingly to show Pumm, its entirety was visible to reveal what appeared to be an instrument.

"Hey, Kina!" Keet heard Pumm call.

"Yes, father?"

"This kid here is going to accompany you while you sing! How about letting your Pops and these wonderful customers hear that beautiful voice of yours?"

"O-Of course!"

Ecstatic, Pumm grabbed two chairs and set them in front of the dusty stage. It'd been a while since Keet heard Kina sing. He couldn't recall the last time but he did remember that she had most radiant voice. As the dulcet tones of the soothing harp and Kina's vocals began to flow rhythmically toward Keet's ears, he felt like he was at pure melodic peace. The way the plucked notes blended perfectly with her sweet, delicate voice made him want to stay in that ecstasy forever. He found himself easily waving his arms to the cheerful beat as Rusta did beside him but at a different tempo. Eventually though, the jaunty melody of the song began to vanish and a small round of applause soon replaced the lost chords.

"That was beautiful!" Rusta exclaimed. "You two are perfect!"

"T-Thanks," Kina replied, blushing slightly at the warm compliment.

Keet himself was about to throw out an earnest praise when looked at the two performers side-by-side. He noticed Link's mirthful expression alongside Kina's warm blush. Then it came to him…

_Rusta was right._

* * *

It didn't occur to Kina that she had done anything wrong. Sure she hadn't sung in a while so maybe her voice was a little rusty; and Link's performance was more sub-par than she imagined. But Keet leaving in such a hurry was something of an enigma to her. He seemed like he was enjoying the music for the most part while they were performing. Then when they finished, he suddenly looked as if someone broke a pot in his house: upset.

As a waitress, her customers' happiness was a top priority. But as a friend―someone who cares for him, his happiness meant much more than that. Being a waitress, she practically knew everyone in Skyloft to a certain extent. Her relationships with her customers were something she'd always cherish. But somehow with Keet, everything felt different. Every time he'd call her over and order something, she'd feel a smile instinctively work its way onto her face. Of course, there were times when she'd have to forcibly plaster one on for the sake of a good tip to some customers. But like always, for Keet things were different, and every smile was genuine.

Perhaps this was just nothing to fret over and he simply wanted some fresh air. If so, she'd leave him be and maybe he'd bring up later.

_If only she knew._

* * *

**A/N:** Well, this was my first fanfic. And here's a fun fact: when Pumm and Kina's names are combined, their two names become "Pummkina", which is a reference to pumpkins.


End file.
